SÃO PAULO — Police in Rio de Janeiro said Wednesday that an investigation has been launched into Time4Fun — the Brazilian company that organized Taylor Swift’s shows in the city — days after a fan died and others reported unbearable conditions after attending the “Eras Tour” during an extreme heat wave.
A spokesperson for the Civil Police Department of Rio de Janeiro said that its consumer delegations department had launched an inquiry into “the crime of endangering the life and health” of concertgoers.
“Event organizers will be called to testify, and other steps are underway to investigate the facts,” the statement said.
Time4Fun did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Last week, the company confirmed the death of 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado, at Friday night’s concert. The show was held as a record-breaking heat wave swept through the city, and temperatures in the stadium reached a heat index of 138 degrees Fahrenheit. Swift later postponed her Saturday night show because of the extreme temperatures.
Fans complained of oppressive heat inside the stadium and limited access to water. There were reports that other fans fainted in the extreme heat.
The department said the investigation is not connected to Machado’s death. Rio’s Municipal Health Department said the woman passed out during the second song of Swift’s set and experienced cardiorespiratory arrest, but the exact cause of her death is not yet known.
Fans of the star, self-described Swifties, flooded social media with the phrase “T4F EXIGIMOS RESPEITO” following Machado’s death, which translated from Portuguese means “T4F WE DEMAND RESPECT.” In many of the posts on X, they called on T4F to make sure there was access to water for ticket holders.
Swift said in an Instagram story after the show that she was “overwhelmed by grief” over Machado’s death.
T4F said on social media after Friday’s show that fans would be able to enter the next two performances with water bottles and some sealed foods.
Swift is scheduled to play three more shows in Brazil this weekend in São Paulo, where fans will also be allowed to bring some food and water into the venue.